Great start to a new series!
The Reluctant Retiree
This is such a wonderful starting story for a new series and group of shifters. Asher and Nicole are so good together. I truly enjoyed the references to both the Wayward Mates and Tangled Vines series. I’ve noticed in other stories that more than one heroine has been a writer. Lovely to see!
The sound of a cord snapping abruptly ends her climb, leaving her stranded as an arctic storm bears down. Can Asher find his mate before she freezes to death?
Nicole is done with men. Her husband left her for a thinner and younger model and never looked back. She has worked hard to be an independent, successful woman without a man. Although she is still a curvy woman, she is healthy and loves outdoor activities. Climbing Pyramid Mountain is the next adventure on her list of things she wants to accomplish. So why does she feel drawn to Asher, the know-it-all US Forest Ranger telling her she can’t make her climb?
Asher Wells has found his mate, at last. He should have known that his spirited, fated mate wasn’t going to listen to reason. With an arctic storm bearing down on them, she was hell-bent on Pyramid Mountain for her first solo, technical climb. Luckily he managed to get an emergency beacon into her pack. Unfortunately, something has happened and Nicole has activated it.
Come visit Mystic River, Alaska. A small, remote town that has always been a safe community for different types of shifters. These shifters are gorgeous, possessive, and finding their fated mate is high on their priority list.
Take a walk on the wild side with these curvy heroines, their sexy fated mates, and scenes that sizzle.
The Reviews
Redrabbitt VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars THE EVENT PLANNER AND THE FOREST RANGER Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2023 The story is the first in the new Mystic River Shifters. It will have a great cast of characters, including humans and shifters. The story will involve Nicole Sullivan, a human, and alpha wolf shifter, Asher Wells. Nicole Sullivan has gone through a divorce, moved to Seattle, Washington, and opened a satellite office for event planning with her boss, Judith in San Francisco. Nicole has taken up many adventurous hobbies including kayaking and training for mountain climbing. She decides to travel to Kodiak Island, Alaska, to look at it as a destination for future events. While there, she plans to do a solo climb up Pyramid Mountain. Asher Wells and his alpha father do not get along. Asher left his pack in Mystic River and went into the Navy, becoming a SEAL. Now, he is back and head of the U.S. Forest Rangers in Alaska. What a surprise to meet Nicole, and realize she is his fated mate, a human, and stubborn. The story’s plot will have Asher and Nicole meeting, butting heads, having lunch, and then to his cabin where the night is spent in pleasure. Asher is hoping to convince Nicole to forego a solo climb, wait until he can join her, and keep her in his bed. Nicole needs to do this climb for herself, which she believes she can do. She isn’t figuring out the volatile weather that will strike while she is on the mountain. That will take this story into life-and-death danger. Asher is determined to save his mate, even if it is from herself. Asher: Do you read a lot of romance novels? Nicole: There’s nothing wrong with that. Asher: Not at all. Just trying to learn about you, and what makes you tick; what turns you on. Nicole: You. You turn me on. Asher: Ditto. Careful, Nicole. You don’t put yourself down or deflect how I feel. Nicole: Is that a rule? Asher: Yes, and there will be more of them. You’d best accept that you’re going to follow them and when you don’t, there’ll be consequences. Nicole: What kind of consequences? Asher: I found a bit of discipline can do a lot to keep a relationship on the right track. Nicole: What kind of discipline? Asher: A firm male hand applied to a shapely feminine backside can go a long way to curbing bad behavior and not allowing things to build up. Nicole: Are you threatening to spank me? Asher: No threat. I don’t make threats Nicole. I make promises and I want you to know up front what the consequences for things are. So yes, if your behavior is bad enough that it warrants you getting your backside blistered, I’m the man to get the job done. Be and good girl, and I won’t have to resort to that. The story has mystery, suspense, danger, and some surprises. I loved the story of Nicole and Asher. The chemistry between them sizzles off the pages. When they are together, it is as if fate ordained them to be together.
Sue B 5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read, great characters and plot I loved every moment of this amazing book Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023 A wonderful read, great characters and plot I loved every moment of this amazing book Nicole had discovered after walking in on her husband Kevin and his Bimbo girlfriend making use of her bed, her silk dressing gown and all of this whilst she was supporting him whilst he was taking the bar, she had been working non stop without so much as a thank-you. Newly divorced she had decided to open a new branch with her boss after inputting a good deal of her divorce settlement and although it had taken hard work the event planning business had been a great success and life had been good. She had also written a bucket list and had started to do more of the things she loved kayaking, white water rafting and also had been learning how to mountain climb and decided her first solo climb was going to be in Kodiak Alaska and she could not wait. When she reached Mystic Falls and had visited the Ranger Station to discuss her climbing intentions she had met the chief ranger Asher and something had clicked, they had lunch together and he had shown her around the small town. Then they had spent the night together and it was as though they had always been together, Ashe’s love making had rocked her world and she felt as though they had known each other forever. The climb is hard but is going well until on the decline the weather changes and taking all the steps taught to her she has one of her ropes bread and barely stops herself with her new ice pick but she had hurt her wrist and knew she had to use the emergency beacon to let the Rangers know she was in trouble. Asher had known that his wolf was desperate to get to his mate and would do whatever it too to reach her no matter what it takes, the thought of a world without her in it was not worth contemplating. It was fortunate that her love of shifter titles and the way in which mates were turned were her favourite read. She also loved Asher and even though she was human in her heart knew that there was something very special between them. I guarantee that when you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down and you will be fascinated by the interactions between Asher and Ellis his Sire and Gemma his mother, they are so alike and both men constantly come to blows but his mother is a diamond. Then there are the details behind Nicole’s rope that had failed on the climb and now it appears that perhaps someone may have been behind it but you will have to read this for yourself and I assure you that once you begin reading you will not stop until you reach the end. I assure you that you will love every moment of this book it is simply a fantastic read. I voluntarily received and review an Advanced Reader Copy I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading any future publications; keep up all the great writing.
Marybeth 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2023 This is one of the best books I've read by Delta James. You can see the pride she takes in her growth as an author. The book is well written and the chemistry between Nicole and Asher is combustible. Nicole is a strong woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. Asher is dominant, but not overbearing. Their story is fun to read and there is a surprising twist at the end that I did not anticipate. Great job! I can't wait for the next book in the series. I received an advance copy and this is my honest review.
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree 